Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
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Toronto Public Library is the busiest urban public library system in the world. Every year, we have millions of users visiting our branches and taking advantage of our online services. In the Local History & Genealogy section discover the history of your family, your Toronto neighborhood, or places in Ontario and across Canada.
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
2w ago
This year, Toronto Public Library celebrates 140 years. However, lending libraries have been part of the city for more than two centuries. We preserve rare items in our archives that showcase the history of these 19th-century libraries in what is now downtown Toronto. A big piece of this history is ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
3M ago
This temporary page replicates our popular list of city directories available online. We're working to restore the original page on Toronto Public Library's website, currently unavailable due to a cybersecurity attack. All online city directories remain fully available. The links below go to pages where you can download or view ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
6M ago
Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) was an American novelist who won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and Nobel Prize in Literature. He's known for titles such as The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms and The Old Man and the Sea. What you may not know is that Hemingway had a ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
9M ago
Did you know that we once had a branch devoted just to music? The Music Library opened its doors in 1959 and operated for nearly two decades. It offered thousands of records, books and scores to borrow or use on the spot. Here's a look back at this largely-forgotten location ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
1y ago
In 1922, Canadian writer Lucy Maud Montgomery and her family vacationed two weeks in the small town of Bala in Muskoka, Ontario. She took the proof of her novel Emily of New Moon to edit. But this trip would inspire The Blue Castle, one of her only two books for ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
1y ago
Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE is one of Canada’s most cherished authors known particularly for creating the beloved heroine Anne of Green Gables in 1908. She published 21 novels, as well as 530 short stories and 500 poems. In 1921, Montgomery participated in a week-long event to promote Canadian literature ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
1y ago
The Young Men's Christian Association, now known simply as the YMCA, has a long history in Canada. Its first North American location opened in Montreal in 1851. Early services extended to Canada's military, including support for men recruited during the First World War. In Toronto in 1917, the Y.M.C.A. opened ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
1y ago
From the Aga Khan Museum to the Humber River Trail to the Black Creek Pioneer Village, North York has many attractions for residents and visitors to enjoy. Did you know that 2022 marks the centennial of North York becoming an independent township, and that it didn’t actually become a city ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
1y ago
Looking for Toronto-themed backgrounds for your phone? Here are 20 unique ones of old Toronto — from 1870 to 1950. There's a bit of history under each wallpaper, too. We made them from our public domain photos, paintings, postcards and maps. The actual items are held in our Baldwin Collection ..read more
Toronto Public Library » Local History & Genealogy
1y ago
Rochdale College registrar Rick Waern in front of 18-storey building for Rochdale College at Bloor and Huron Streets, 1968. From our Toronto Star Photograph Archive. View on Digital Archive. Rochdale College was a cost-saving measure The University of Toronto’s Campus Co-op, a self-funded student-led housing co-operative, incorporated Rochdale in 1964 ..read more